


The Unexpected Egg

by mariothellama



Series: The dragon series [8]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anniversaries, Baby Dragon, Egg Hatching, Family, Friendship, Love, M/M, POV Erik, POV Marco, POV Robert, families come in all shapes and sizes, happiness and joy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-11-22 10:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11378418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama
Summary: Erik and Marco have just celebrated their 1,000th anniversary when they receive an unexpected surprise anniversary gift, one which has implications for Robert as well!An extra scene from 'Dragon Tales'.





	1. Erik

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts).



> My dearest GoForGoals I am always so happy that you like our dragons as much as I do. This is the story Marco and Erik wanted me to write with your idea and I hope that you like it. Thank you for everything and for every one of your lovely comments, each one of which is deeply appreciated.
> 
> This extra episode of 'Dragon Tales' was written in response to a request. It takes place after Erik and Marco's 1,000th anniversary party, which is the theoretical end of the main fic.

Marco and Erik had just celebrated one thousand wonderful years together, a millennium of love and happiness. There had been some discussion over when their anniversary should actually be celebrated, whether they should date their ‘official’ relationship from the day they had met or the day Erik had begun his new life as a dragon. But Erik resolved the question by reminding Marco that he had been his from the moment they’d met, that he had slept snuggled up against his golden dragon’s belly, held tight in his dragon’s claws, from that very first night.

They had celebrated with the dragons who were most important to them, with their extended family and their four best friends in the whole world and their families. A small army of miniature dragonets accompanied the dragons they had adopted, led by Fechtar, the first of the dragonets. Miroslav was there too with his ever present dragonet companions, the wise old elder dragon rejuvenated by the births of so many young dragons, the return of the dragonets and the discovery of the water dragons.

And of course Erik and Marco’s children were there. And their grandchildren. And their first great grandchild, newly hatched in time for the big celebration, the precious cargo carefully carried by her parents to the meadow where the party took place.

A tear might just have fallen from Erik’s eyes as he held the tiny baby dragon in his arms. She shimmered as golden as his beloved mate, the tiny flecks of emerald and amethyst on her scales honouring her grandparents.

Marco nosed at him lovingly with his snout. ‘You’re thinking back to when Smaragd was this tiny, aren’t you?’ he asked with a smile.

‘Yes. I thought I could never be happier than I was the day he hatched, but every new day with you and our family is better than the one before. I miss having the tiny ones running around our lair. But it is fun being grandparents! And now great grandparents!’

Erik could have cuddled little Erika all day. But he had to share her with Mario and Nuri, not to mention Smaragd and Lila who had just become grandparents for the first time as well.

After the party, Marco and Erik went on an anniversary tour together. First of all they visited the land of the ice dragons. And finally they spent time with their water dragon friends. They had become close to Bernd and Thomas over the centuries, visiting them as often as possible. This was the first time that they had met their new grandchild and they cooed and fussed over the tiny water dragon baby as little Callum splashed about in the shallow water by the edge of the sea.

Since Erik, Marco and Smaragd had found Bernd and the other water dragons again, dragons all over the globe had been on alert for traces of their flightless cousins. The ice dragons had even discovered another water dragon pair living alone and in isolation in the coastal fjords of their home. The sea passage was too long and dangerous for them to contemplate and it had taken a massive ‘dragonlift’ involving teams of fire dragons and the magic of all of the surviving elder dragons to transport them the long distance to join Paul and Murdo’s growing community. The island water dragon family had grown steadily, their numbers now so healthy that they had had to found new groups in caves underneath other coastal islands.

But now Erik and Marco were home, home in their own lair, in the cavern with the enchanted lake that had been their home for the last thousand years, looking forward to their next thousand years together. But first they needed an afternoon nap, tired from the long flight back.

Erik woke as the sun was setting. Something was wrong. Marco was restless beside him, hot and glowing, his scales shimmering with golden light.

‘Marco? Could you be … ?’ Erik asked, a little surprised.

‘Yes, little one. I think that I need to fly for you,’ Marco answered, his eyes shining in a kaleidoscope of golds, greens and ambers.

This was an unexpected turn of events, but a welcome one, the perfect end to their wonderful anniversary celebrations, thought Erik, shadowing Marco as they flew high over the Pfälzer Wald, pirouetting and cartwheeling over the treetops. Marco twinkled brighter than the stars in the night sky, flashing gold like an exploding sun against the velvet darkness. Erik swooped in to capture him and bear him back to their lair, savouring and glorying in the closeness of their mental and physical bond. He could never, ever get enough of this, of his wonderful, magnificent Marco, his golden dragon, his beloved one, his mate.

They lay together after their mating bond was completed, blissed-out and satisfied, curled up close together. Something was nagging at Erik, something was different. Marco was different. But he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on how happy he was, how good this felt.

But his unease continued over the next couple of weeks. He could tell that Robert sensed that there was something going on as well. Both of them were pretty sure that they knew what it was, but they waited for Marco to tell them in his own good time.

Marco looked shifty one night, tracing patterns in the sand with his claw. Erik waited patiently for him to say something.

‘Erik, well … um … I think that I might be expecting an egg. I really don’t know how this happened.’

Erik looked at him quizzically, his eye ridges raised in amusement. Marco flushed golden. ‘Well obviously I know how it happened. But you know what I mean. We hadn’t planned or expected this.’

‘We should have learned by now that the magic can take an unexpected turn in our lives. Interesting things just seem to happen to us. Are you … are you alright with this?’

Marco sighed. ‘Yes, I think so. I wanted this a long, long time ago before … well before … and thought that I would never have it. It is a shock though. And I am worried. About you. And about Robert.’

Erik nuzzled close against his mate. ‘Oh Marco. I carried our two beautiful baby dragons in me, protected them as they grew in their eggs. That was more than I could ever have hoped for or dreamed of. And now I am just so overjoyed that you get to have this wonderful experience as well. And that there will be another little tiny one running about our lair, causing mayhem. Nothing could make me happier. Even if it is a massive surprise!’

The golden dragon looked slightly reassured, but Erik knew that there was something still worrying him. ‘And I’ll let you into a secret. Robert has known that you are expecting an egg for some time now. As have I. And he is delighted for you, for us, for the three of us. We have been a family for so long now. This is just another exciting adventure we’ll take together.’

Erik paused and grinned at Marco, his snout wrinkling in amusement. ‘But we do have to tell the children. And the grandchildren. And baby Erika isn’t going to be the youngest member of the family anymore!’

Marco groaned and hung his head in embarrassment. But of course they were all delighted for Erik and Marco, even if it was all a little unexpected. So now Marco could be truly happy, as were Erik and Robert.

Erik had promised himself that he wouldn’t be a fussy and overprotective father-to-be. Although sometimes he had to mentally bite his tongue as he saw Marco do things that he would have tried to stop Erik doing when he had been expecting one of their eggs. But Erik knew that the newest member of the family was in the safest place possible nestled safe and warm inside Marco and that his mate would do anything he could to protect their egg.

So Marco played Dragonball until his egg bump was big enough that he started to waddle slightly when he ran after the ball. And they flew over the forest together at dusk every evening, before Marco curled up to sleep in his mate’s arms with Erik’s arm curled protectively over his belly.

When the time came that Marco was too broody to leave the cavern and too big to fly comfortably, it was Erik who asked Robert to come and keep his mate company when he had to fly, although he hurried back to his golden dragon and their future tiny one as quickly as possible.

He tried not to leave Marco alone in these last days for there was one thing clouding their joy. Although he tried not to show it, Marco was worried about laying their egg. That wasn’t surprising as he had been by Erik’s side when he had gone through it, not once but twice. Of course he had told Marco that it would all be worth it once they had their egg, but Marco couldn’t help thinking about it. He could see the flicker of fear in his eyes sometimes when he though Erik wasn’t looking, feel the apprehension flitting across his mate’s mind no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

Erik knew the signs well. He knew exactly what was happening when Marco started to pace in restless circles round their lair. When his mate began to glow hot with magic. When he lay down and started to frantically dig a hole in the sand.

He wanted to be able to comfort and reassure Marco so badly. But he knew Marco wasn’t ready for that. His mate was trying so hard to be brave, trying to be a hero for his beloved Erik and their egg. So Erik simply lay down next to him, pouring all the love and all the support he could into their mental bond, bathing Marco in soft, warm waves of love and care. It helped a little as he could feel Marco calming down a bit. But Marco was still too tense, too focused on trying to be brave to let go and let the magic happen.

Erik lay down next to his mate, caressing him with his snout, reassuring him with his words. ‘Everything will be alright, Marco. I promise you. And soon we will have our wonderful egg to watch over together. But we need to get through this first. We can do it together. I’m not going to leave your side for a minute, not even if you say really bad things to me. You don’t need to be brave for me. You are already my hero after looking after our egg and our new tiny one for us so perfectly all of these months.’

This seemed to work and he felt Marco beginning to relax enough to lay their egg in the sandy nest he had dug for himself. Erik suffered along with Marco for he knew exactly what he was going through. And he tried hard not to smile when his mate made some pretty forceful comments about never, ever flying for Erik again, not under any circumstances whatsoever. But at last Marco lay worn out and exhausted on the sand of their cavern, Erik’s body wound comfortingly around him. It had been a long, hard night, but their precious egg was finally safely buried in the sand of their lair.

Erik and Marco guarded their egg together day and night over the coming weeks, only leaving its side one by one when they really had too. Their friends and family came to keep them company as well and there were sometimes three generations of their family gathered round on egg watch.

But they were alone when the big day came, as the sandy cavern floor rippled and rolled, falling away to reveal a shining, shimmering, glowing sapphire blue egg ready to hatch. They had experienced this twice before, but it was no less magical the third time. Both dragons held their breath as the eggshell cracked, a miniature claw sweeping away shards of shell as a tiny black snout peaked out for the first time. And then they saw the eyes, a pair of beautiful bright sapphire blue eyes. The little dragon was impatient, stumbling out of his shell to wobble the couple of steps to where Erik and Marco were waiting. He looked up at them with those brilliant blue eyes and said his first words - ‘Papa! Daddy!’ - before snuggling up to them for his first cuddle.

Huge tears fell from Erik’s eyes, tears of pure joy. He knew that Marco was crying too. Now he understood. Now this wholly unexpected egg made complete sense. But for now they just wanted to enjoy these first precious moments with their tiny one. Although this time they wouldn’t wait long to invite Robert to join them. For their family was finally complete. A gap they hadn't even known was there was filled. And Erik really couldn’t have been happier.


	2. Marco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dearest GoForGoals
> 
> This is the second chapter to your story, from Marco's POV this time. The dragon tales are primarily written from Erik's POV as it is all new to him, but Marco demanded to have his say this time. And we do get to meet the new baby dragon properly and find out what he is called.
> 
> There is nothing very original here, just Durmeus dragon love and baby dragon fluff, but I hope that you like it!

They had been together for a thousand years and Marco’s love for Erik was as strong as it had been on the day they had met. No that wasn’t true, it was much stronger and deeper for they had built a life together, had many adventures together, above all they had their beautiful family, a veritable dragon dynasty. The long, lonely years before Erik had found his way to their lair were now a far distant memory.

Their anniversary party surrounded by friends and family had been truly wonderful. Marco might even have shed a small tear of joy as he saw Erik holding his namesake - their first great grandchild - for the very first time. Their anniversary ‘honeymoon’ trip had been equally amazing, visiting the land of the ice dragons and then their water dragon friends.

They’d had a special connection with the water dragons ever since he, Erik and Smaragd had found Bernd. Nobody had been surprised when Lila and Smaragd had become a pair when they were still relatively young and they had spent their first few decades together exploring the world, looking for more water dragons, finding other long-lost magical and mysterious creatures along the way. The two of them seemed to have a talent for this. It had been Smaragd who had summoned Bernd and Lila had found Fechtar, the first of the dragonets and the pattern had continued through their life together. Smaragd had definitely inherited Marco and Erik’s inquisitive spirits!

While he loved having adventures and celebrating their anniversary had been fun, Marco had been glad to finally be home again, curled up in their lair with his beloved mate for some quality time alone.

However things hadn’t worked out quite as he had imagined. He had thought that he was just over-tired from all the excitement and all the travelling when he’d started to feel hot and restless. It was only once his scales began to glow gold that he realised that he had to fly for his mate. He always loved flying for his beloved Erik, tracing glowing patterns through the night sky high above their forest home until his mate carried them off to their lair, and this time was no exception. But this time something had been … well … different.

He’d known that he was expecting an egg from the very first moment. He’d been able to sense the spark of tiny life inside him, but it had been such a shock that he’d needed a couple of weeks to speak about it. A couple of weeks of cherishing the growing connection between himself and their unexpected little dragonling. And just like the understanding, supportive mate that he was, Erik had waited until he was ready to discuss it.

Marco was overjoyed. Erik was overjoyed. Robert was overjoyed. And, once they had got over their surprise, so were their family. Little Erika would be able to play with her great aunt or uncle as they grew up together!

Of course Marco had wanted this. It had been his dream centuries ago, a dream he had given up on when he lost his beloved first mate. Then Erik had come into his life and embraced everything so perfectly, even building his own relationship with Robert and accepting him as part of their family, a relationship full of love, trust and understanding with no jealousy at all.

That was so much more than Marco could ever have expected. So he had understood exactly why Erik had wanted to carry their eggs, that he had needed to experience this for himself. And those months when his mate had been protecting their egg, cradling their tiny ones safe inside him, had been just so very beautiful, even if Marco had been unable to stop himself fussing over Erik and being far too over-protective.

Marco treasured those memories and now he was able to know how it felt himself, to be able to feel and sense their little dragonling’s thoughts and movements over the months as his belly gently swelled. To feel his mate’s tender gaze brushing over him lovingly like a caress. To be snuggled up safe and warm against his mate, with Erik’s forearm curled protectively over their egg.

He’d caught Erik looking at him with an amused glint in his eyes as Marco did things that he would undoubtedly have tried to stop his mate doing when he had been expecting one of their eggs. But Erik had just smiled at him in understanding, nuzzling him gently with a loving snout.

He had been apprehensive about laying their egg, fearing that he wouldn’t be as brave as his wonderful mate had been. But once again Erik had known exactly how he felt, exactly what he needed, supporting him and surrounding him with his love. And finally they had their beautiful, miraculous egg, shining brilliant sapphire blue against the golden sand of the cavern floor.

Marco was exhausted but proud, the drive to watch over and protect their egg until it hatched strong and powerful inside him. He and Erik watched over their egg together, united in their love, sometimes joined by their family. These days were precious and special but at last the long-awaited day had arrived.

This was the third time they had witnessed a dragonling hatching, but it was no less magical this time. Marco held his breath as a long crack appeared in the shimmering eggshell. He sighed out loud with pure joy as a small black snout peaked out, as tiny talons broke their way out of the egg. And he definitely shed a tear as the most perfect little baby dragon stumbled unsteadily towards him and called him daddy for the first time.

Erik nudged their tiny one towards him, urging Marco to pick him up for his first cuddle. The fierce, sharp love that flooded through him as he held their son for the first time was almost overwhelming.

Their new dragonling was jet black, as black as the night sky over the Pfälzer Wald and as soft and shining. His eyes were bright sapphire blue. He had told him that his name was Gagat, which suited him perfectly. Gagat gazed up at his daddy with eyes full of love and trust, looking just so adorable as he sucked on one of the golden dragon’s claws.

Marco looked over at his mate. There were tears in Erik’s eyes as well but he blinked them away to fetch a flask of milk for their hungry little dragonling. Erik pressed the flask of milk into Marco’s claw before wrapping himself round his body, holding him close as he fed their son for the first time.

Gagat sucked hungrily at the milk, gurgling and burping happily, blowing little milky bubbles much to his parents’ delight. After he had drunk his second flask of milk, the three of them just snuggled for a bit, enjoying these first moments as a family.

It was Erik who finally spoke. ‘I think it is time that we tell someone very special all about Gagat, isn’t it?’

Marco had thought that it was impossible for him to love his mate more until that moment. His heart was so full of love that he almost felt as if it could burst.

‘You don’t mind?’ he had to ask.

Erik just smiled at him. ‘Mind! Why should I mind? We have a beautiful son to make our wonderful family complete. And this time round I need feel absolutely no parental guilt at all about asking Uncle Robert to baby dragonsit, especially when Gagat is teething. And I can’t wait to see his face. To see how happy he is.’

And the look of sheer wonder on Robert’s face as he saw little Gagat was indeed something to behold. There might even have been a shimmering sapphire tear shed as he held him for the first time.

Their family was finally complete. They had come full circle. And none of them could have been happier!


	3. Robert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dearest GoForGoals
> 
> You asked for Robert meeting little Gagat for the first time and here it is. I hope that you like it!
> 
> Robert has never really had a 'voice' in this universe and the main fic is very much Marco and Erik's story, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to hear from Robert as well.

Two mighty, slightly-transparent dragons were sunbathing on an island, in one of their favourite spots for relaxing. But one of them was distracted, not really paying attention.

‘What did you say? Sorry Jakub. I was miles away,’ the shimmering black dragon apologised. He valued his time with Jakub, who had become his best friend since the day that everything had changed for him.

Jakub had survived the great dragon wars unscathed. But while some of the survivors had stayed to try and rebuild their kind, Jakub had chosen to retreat into the magic. There were so many damaged and broken spirits and Jakub was exactly the kind of strong, solid, caring dragon to bring calm to the chaos, to help heal the magic. He had helped Robert to come to terms with what had happened to him as well, with his feelings for Marco, he been there for him through the difficult, painful years. And over the centuries their friendship had become deeper and stronger.

‘It’s alright, Robert,’ Jakub’s blue eyes twinkled with fond amusement, ‘I know that you’re distracted, waiting to hear that Erik and Marco’s egg has hatched, impatient to meet your new niece or nephew. Hatching days are always special, but this one is extra special since it was so … um … unexpected. Why don’t we just relax here in the sun quietly? I’ll keep you company while you wait.’

Robert smiled at his friend gratefully as they both made themselves comfortable on the warm sand, lying side by side in the companionable silence that came from long years of close friendship.

He instinctively toyed with the sapphire round his neck, fastened there for eternity, the counterpart to the pearl clasped around Marco’s neck, a symbol of the love that bound the three of them together. Lying there waiting for Erik to contact him on this very special day, Robert let his thoughts wander freely, thinking about how his life had turned out. Everything hadn’t been exactly how he had expected, but his life was surprisingly good and, curiously enough, he wouldn’t change a thing about it even if he could.

It had been hard at the beginning, not being part of his beloved mate’s life, having to watch Marco driven almost mad with grief and loss. His mate losing his reason, being consumed by the dragon madness, was the worst fate that could overcome him, worse than death. But Marco had survived, saved by the magic, rescued by the love and care of his friends and by his own strength of will.

Marco had always known that Robert was still there and could manifest in the cavern that had been their home. And sometimes Robert came to his mate, watching over him, gently nuzzling at him, comforting him in the darkness. But rarely, only very rarely. Robert knew that Marco had to live, that he had to live in the light, not trapped in his love and longing for his lost mate. And he knew too that Marco blamed himself for what had happened, that he was tortured with guilt. Robert hoped for Marco to find a new mate, to find happiness, even though he feared that would mean having to say farewell to his golden dragon forever.

But then a miracle had happened. Erik had found his way to Marco’s lair. Erik who was so beautiful and noble, brave and pure, who had loved Marco from the moment they met. Erik was special. He was different. Robert had known that too. He had seen the sparkle in Marco’s eyes as he shyly told him about the young man who had captured his heart. He hadn’t seen that glow in Marco’s eyes since, well since that fateful day.

Robert had been overjoyed that it was the sapphire necklace made from his precious tears that had kept Erik safe during the years of his natural human lifespan. He’d known how hard it would be for Marco to witness Erik’s transformation, perhaps even to have to hurt his mate. That could have broken Marco, so Robert had been there to support him. And somehow another miracle had happened on that day. Erik had accepted him as part of Marco’s life, as part of their life together.

Even more amazingly, acceptance had turned to affection and even love, a love based on trust and respect, a love that wasn’t the same as the bond had been between Robert and Marco or the bond that existed between Erik and Marco, but it was still love. Marco liked to joke sometimes that Robert cared more about Erik than he did about him. But Robert could always see the joy and the happiness in Marco’s eyes as he teased him about it. And there was a tiny kernel of truth in Marco’s words. Robert had always wanted the best for Erik, to protect him and look after him.

Over the years they had become a family. Robert couldn’t have loved little Smaragd more if he’d been his own son. He had wondered if perhaps his feelings were so strong because Smaragd was full of his magic, but his love for Erik and Marco’s second dragonling was every bit as fierce. And now they were expecting a third.

The lair had become a noisy and busy place over the years, with dragonlings and grand-dragonlings. With their friends and their growing families coming to visit. Robert couldn’t suppress a grin at the memory of the day a small orange dragonet with a big attitude and an even bigger heart had marched up to him and confidently introduced herself. And Fechtar had in time been joined by a whole clan of dragonets, who liked nothing better than to treat Robert as their own personal adventure playground, running up and down him, clambering between his claws and climbing along the ridges on his back and his tail.

However Robert never complained. It was good to see so much life, love and laughter echoing in the cavern. And he knew that so many gatherings of family and friends took place in Erik and Marco’s lair because everyone wanted Robert to be able to participate. That and the lure of Erik’s famous cakes of course!

There were quiet, peaceful moments as well, especially their anniversary that had come to mean so much to all three of them. At first this had been about Robert and Marco, about the farewells they had never been able to say, but it had become about the bond that had grown between him, Marco and Erik …

… Erik! Robert’s head jerked up. Erik was calling to him, asking him to come and come quickly. It was time!

Jakub lazily opened an eye, ‘Off you go, Robert! Congratulate Marco and Erik from me.’

He materialised in the cavern a few minutes later, excitement prickling his scales. But then he was stopped in his tracks, overwhelmed by the sheer breathtaking beauty of the sight in front of him. The cavern was dim and peaceful. Marco’s scales shone golden in the soft, warm light given off by the luminescent cave walls. There was a mysterious look on Erik’s face, one that Robert couldn’t fully read, as he snuggled next to his mate. Erik was gazing in complete awe and wonder at the tiny, gleaming-black baby dragon snoozing happily in Marco’s arms while his daddy gently and lovingly nuzzled at the little dragonling, who was clearly still only an hour or two old.

Erik lifted his head, aware of Robert’s presence and his eyes were shining, still wet from the opal tears of happiness he had clearly shed. ‘Gagat is napping after his first feed. Shall we see if he is ready to meet his Uncle Robert?’

‘No, you don’t need to disturb him. He looks so peaceful. He and Marco look just so perfect together. This is your time together as a family. He must be not long hatched.’

Marco looked at him, his wonderful eyes spiralling gold, green and amber in his joy, ‘You needed to meet him straight away, you’ll understand why, I promise you.’

Robert came closer, almost shy and hesitant, as Erik gently lifted little Gagat out of Marco’s arms and nestled him into Robert’s embrace. Gagat’s jet-black scales gleamed, catching the light and reflecting it like a glittering black diamond as he stirred sleepily against Robert. It felt good to hold him, warm and snuffling against his chest, his little black snout the most adorable thing that Robert had ever set eyes upon. And then it was as if the world stood still for a moment as Gagat opened his eyes and looked up at him with loving, trusting eyes, eyes that were a deep, brilliant blue, the perfect mirror of Robert’s own eyes.

It took a long moment for Robert to be able to tear his gaze away from Gagat to see Marco and Erik looking at him with loving expressions. A solitary sapphire tear dropped to the ground, a testament to his overwhelming joy.

 ‘W-w-w-w-what? H-h-h-h-h-h-how?’ stammered Robert, unable to put the emotions that flooded through him into coherent words.

‘It’s magic. You know,’ smiled Erik as he and Marco snuggled close to Robert and Gagat, surrounding them in a cocoon of warm love.

‘You don’t mind?’ Robert had to ask.

‘Marco asked me exactly the same question. Of course not. But you will definitely be on call for extra baby dragonsitting duties this time. Marco and I aren’t as young as we once were. And just wait until he is teething!’ teased Erik. But then he became more serious. ‘We’re a family. We always have been. And now our family is complete. Stay with us tonight. We need to be together, all four of us.’

Robert could only sigh happily. He couldn’t be happier and he really wouldn’t change a thing about his life. The magic had brought him true happiness in the most surprising way imaginable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuba being Robert's best friend was eafay70's idea and the island on which the two of them are sunbathing is the magic island Marco banished all the troublesome dragonslaying knights to. Robert has a very full and busy life when he is not with Marco, Erik and their large family.
> 
> Gagat's name is the German word for the mineral jet, so is a mirror of Smaragd's name. The middle dragonling is completely different and will be revealed later on in 'Dragon Tales'.

**Author's Note:**

> The baby water dragon is named for my godson.
> 
> Erik and Marco's great granddaughter is named for one of my cuddly toys, who demanded to appear in this fic. Little Marco my rhino is together with Gismo, the head male dragon of the family, and their daughter is a unicorn named Erika.


End file.
